2005
by Little Octopus
Summary: Arthur Kirkland did not enjoy high school. So why the bloody hell is he going to his high school reunion? Could it be the fact his best friend who he was separated from and hadn't seen in ten years was going to be there? Or maybr he wanted his high school class to recognize him as a gay pornstar.
1. Chapter 1

2005

" _Arthur!" chubby cheeks spread into a grin as the door swings open. "I've been waiting for you!"_

 _The blond feels a smile tug at his pale lips. "Sorry, I got in trouble."_

" _Was it those bullies again?" the grin quickly falls into a pout._

" _Yeah. But I'm okay. They got suspended." Arthur shrugs and sits next to the plump boy. Well, teenager, but his baby fat seems persistent on staying on the poor lad's face._

 _They sit together in a friendly silence. Then the boy of seventeen years speaks again. "After we graduate, we're gonna go far in life. And then at the reunion we are gonna brag to them. We will be rich, Artie. And they'll finally let us be together."_

 _Arthur smiled though he felt something was off with the boy's statement._

" _It will be great. You'll see."_

 _Now Arthur understood. He was going to get sent away to study after graduation. His father wanted him away from this boy. This_ gay _boy. But Arthur couldn't tell him that. It would break the poor boy's heart_

" _I'll hold you too it, Al." he finally said._

…

Arthur woke up with a headache. He hadn't thought about that fat boy since highschool, and now he was dreaming about him. Great.

He rolled out of bed and stood up, his feet touching the cold floor. What had brought that dream on anyway? Arthur ruffled his hair as he shuffled to the bathroom. On his way, he passed his computer.

That's right. He had gotten an email sent to him on Facebook. His high school reunion was next week. Arthur groaned and rubbed his face. The last thing he wanted to do was to see those idiots again. Yet that chubby boy lingered in the front of his mind.

Arthur left his room behind and went to shower. He wondered if the boy was still fat. Or fatter. He remembered that the lad had a rather large crush on him, though Arthur never returned the feelings. Being gay then was never fun, though today he could get away with it with less problems. Not to mention that Arthur was rejected by his father for being gay. And dating friends is just so messy. Arthur liked having the boy around and he didn't want to ruin it for a week or two of them holding hands and getting rocks thrown at them.

Yup, it was just easier being friends. Especially since Arthur left right after graduation. But did he really want to go see the boy again? Sheesh what was his name?

Arthur finished his shower and dressed in a plain shirt and jeans, pondering over that boy's name. They had been best friends for God's sake why couldn't he remember? Well it had been ten years and that's ten years alcohol too.

While drying his hair, Arthur walked to his bookshelf. He skimmed over his fairytale and fantasy books to all of his yearbooks. His mother had insisted on buying one each year, though he never had many people sign them, he still kept them all. He grabbed the book from his senior year and he sat on the bed. He flipped to the back of the book, vaguely remembering the long note the boy and wrote there.

Arthur found the page. He ran his fingers over the indented letters, written in blue. He remembered that the boy always preferred using blue ink. Arthur skimmed over the note, promises of them always being best friends and that Arthur moving meant nothing and that they would keep in touch. Boy had they been wrong.

Arthur recalled the few emails between them. The birthday cards that lasted only a year. With a sigh, he finally got to the bottom of the page.

Alfred.

The boy's name was Alfred. It was fitting for him. A happy name for a happy fat boy. Arthur rubbed his thumb across the name and the boy's signature under it. He wondered if the boy still wrote like that. Or maybe his handwriting had gotten better over the last ten years.

Arthur smiled as his imagination ran away with thoughts of bright blue eyes and toothy grins. However, it was interrupted with the ring of his cell phone.

Sighing, Arthur glanced at the name and saw that it was his boss. He rolled his eyes and slid the screen open. "I'm not due for another hour."

"You know Friday is final filming day so I don't know why you always insist on coming in late." the man on the other end snapped.

"I'd rather not be associated with those people." Arthur said. He closed the year book and tossed it on the bed.

"You're no better than them." Arthur bristled and opened his mouth to shout, but the next words had him snapping it shut. "Get down here or you're fired. I don't care how many people like watching you."

The line went dead and Arthur angrily shook the device, imagining it was that man's neck.

He shoved the phone in his pocket and moved to the front door. If he could get a job anywhere else, he wouldn't even go in. However, Arthur had one downfall.

No one wanted to hire a pornstar.

Arthur pulled the beanie further down his hair and pushed the dark sunglasses up his nose as he left his car and trotted into the studio. Though no one knew his name, he as well known for his startling blond hair and smoldering green eyes. So he kept himself covered.

At the doors, Arthur took his beanie and sunglasses off to flash his badge at the guard. Once through, Arthur shoved the hat and sunglasses back on. He walked briskly down the hallway to his dressing room. He didn't pass anyone, but that didn't stop him from keeping his face down.

When he got to his room, he snatched the list of costumes and names from his door, unlocked the room and slipped in. He let out a sigh and locked the door again.

As Arthur took off his beanie and glasses he looked over the list. Today he would be a yoga instructor tied to a weight table, a construction worker, a teacher, and in an orgy. Arthur groaned and tossed this disguise to his couch. Orgies were the worst. At least it was at the end of the day so he could go home afterwards.

Arthur placed his schedule on his vanity and went to his closet. What would one be wearing while being tied to a weight bench? He flipped through the corsets, shorts, and other skimpy clothing. Arthur sighed and moved to the other side of his closet. His more normal side. He decided on a pair of yoga pants and a tight tank top.

As he was changing, a loud angry pounding came from his door. Arthur rolled his eyes and yanked the door open. As he guessed, the fat sweaty man he knew has his boss stood there, fist up and ready for another punch against the heavy wooden door.

"May I help you?" Arthur asked with mock innocence.

"You're pushing your luck, boy." the man snapped.

Arthur rolled his eyes but swung the door open. "What do you want?"

The fat man pushed into the room, a sneer permanently on his face. He glanced over arthur's costumes and belongings. "The first take is soon so I suggest you do something with your face."

"I don't need you to tell me how to do my face." Arthur snapped. But he plopped himself down at the vanity anyway. Mostly so he didn't have to look at his boss.

"One more strike, boy." the fat man growled.

Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. "I haven't missed one shooting."

"That's not what I mean. You have missed meeting your partners. It's important that they like you. Do you know how hard it is to find sexy men who will openly have sex with other men on the camera?"

"What?" Arthur asked, applying foundation. The fat guy wasn't making any sense.

"There are not a lot of good-looking gay guys who want to fuck your slutty ass!" the man shouted.

Arthur froze, his brush hovering over his nose. His eyes found his boss's in the mirror. "Don't talk to me like that."

"You know it's true. Now get ready. And if you're not here on time tomorrow, you're fired."

Arthur stood so fast the chair tipped over. "You can't do that!"

"You need to learn your place, boy!" the fat man shouted before slamming the door.

Arthur stared at the heavy wood. He shouldn't come in tomorrow. But he couldn't get fired. Getting recognized in public was too big a risk.

With heavy and stiff arms, Arthur lifted his vanity chair and finished getting ready.

Arthur groaned softly to himself as the nastiness of his final video was washed away in the warm water. He scrubbed furiously at his hair, pulling the sticky strands apart and rinsing away all lingering semen. He really didn't like it when men came on his face. Though he did hear it was good for his complexion.

He stepped out of the shower and dressed in his normal clothes. He tried not to limp as he walked about his dressing room, gathering his things to go home. He usually wasn't this sore, but as the years went on, steroids and testosterone became popular and bigger dicks had been popping up. Literally.

Arthur massaged his lower back and stretched in the middle of the room. _Maybe if you had someone who loved you, it wouldn't hurt to have sex._

Freezing, Arthur shook the thought from his head. No one would want a relationship with him. He was used and dirty. With a sigh, Arthur slung his bag to his shoulder, shoved his beanie and sunglasses on and made his way outside the building.

At home, Arthur laid in bed with a bottle of ibuprofen and a heating pad on his back. He was scrolling through social media without really thinking, when the red bubble popped up on the message icon.

Blinking, Arthur tapped the bubble to open the message. It was from the group putting the high school reunion together. He read the message. Something about letting the group know if he was attending so they could get enough food.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. Did he really want to see any of those fuck bags again? Not really. But there was one that he couldn't get out of his head. Taking a breath. Arthur confirmed his presence at the reunion.

What was he thinking. What the fuck was he thinking. Everyone was talking to each other and hugging and laughing and wondering who the weird blond guy in the corner was.

Arthur wiped his palms on his jeans and snuck his way to the bar. Might as well drink the free alcohol if he was gonna get judged.

After getting his drink, Arthur turned and faced the room of his old peers. He saw a few people who used to pick on him. Others who humiliated him completely. In all reality, he hated them all.

"Arthur? Is that you?" a male voice came from behind him.

Not recognizing the voice, Arthur turned with a soft sigh. "Yes, and you are?"

His eyes traveled up a very attractive tall man. A grin was plastered on his face and the dim light glinted off his golden hair.

"It's me! Alfred!" the man placed a hand on his chest. "Remember?"

AN: The pornstar backstage stuff is all made up.


	2. Chapter 2

2005

Chapter 2

Arthur didn't know what to say. Alfred was almost nothing how he remembered him. He was tall, all traces of his baby fat was gone and his sagging skin had been transformed into toned and tanned muscle.

"Arthur?" Alfred said again, looking slightly nervous.

Mentally shaking himself, Arthur allowed a grin to spread out on his face. "Of course I remember you! How could I forget?"

Alfred let out an obvious sigh of relief. "I'm glad you realized who I was! That would have been embarrassing."

Arthur scanned over Alfred again and was still taken aback by the handsome man before him. "Yes. It would have." He mumbled before shaking his head and smiling at Alfred. "How have you been?"

"Just great! I got a job as a firefighter and I finally lost all that fat I had in high school. It wasn't easy." He flashed a grin at Arthur. "I also was able to buy my own place just a month back."

"That's great, Alfred! I knew you always wanted to be a hero." Arthur couldn't help the bubble of laughter that burst from his chest. Alfred had always claimed he would be great some day.

"Thanks." Alfred beamed. "So what do you do now?"

Don't say porn star. Don't lie. Don't say porn star. Don't lie. _Don't say porn star_. "I do entertainment." Arthur mentally high fived himself. Nice save.

"Really? What kind?" Alfred asked, intrigued.

Arthur mentally slapped himself. "Just some acting." he saw Alfred open his mouth for another question but quickly continued. "It's a real small company. I'm sure you haven't heard of it."

"Maybe I do. I watched a lot of t.v., remember?" Alfred nudged Arthur's arm.

Fuck. Arthur shrugged and took a drink as he thought wildly. Then he remembered a fact about Alfred. He hated British television. With a slight triumphant smile to himself, he looked at Alfred. "It's British."

Alfred cringed. "Yeah. Never seen any of those."

Arthur smiled and silence filled the air between them. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. Arthur shifted on his feet and took another sip of his drink.

Alfred spoke up after a few moments. "What happened between us?"

It was an odd question, but Arthur knew what the taller meant. They had been so close, then Arthur left and eventually stopped replying to Alfred all together.

Arthur sighed and gave Alfred a sad smile. "My father found out that you were gay. I tried to hide it the best I could, but when he discovered you and that I was lying, he didn't want to risk having me be gay. I never told him I was. Then he moved me away. When he found out we were still talking, I got kicked out and ended up on the streets." Arthur paused to sip his drink. No one knew this story. "I didn't want to write you because you would have no where to send me letters."

Alfred sniffed and Arthur wasn't surprised to see tears in his gorgeous blue eyes. Alfred had always been a big baby.

"I'm so sorry Arthur. I was so mad at you for not talking to be, but it wasn't even your fault." Alfred sniffed again and wiped at his eyes.

Arthur chuckled and patted Alfred's hand. "Al, it's okay. I have my own apartment now and I'm pretty content with life."

Alfred curled his calloused fingers around Arthur's smooth palm. "Just content?"

It was a ruse! Arthur didn't pull his hand away, but he didn't look Alfred in the eye. Instead he scanned the crowd. "Nothing was really impressed me in a while."

"Do you know of anything that would be impressive?" Alfred asked, suddenly very close.

Arthur glanced at the broad chest beside his shoulder. A few medals gleamed and winked at him. "I'm not sure. I have a feeling it's close though."

"Oh?" Alfred said softly.

Arthur opened his mouth to reply but his phone buzzed loudly in his pocket. Scowling, Arthur tugged his hand away from Alfred. "I'm sorry."

Though obviously crestfallen, Alfred smiled. "Go ahead, I need a new drink."

Arthur smiled and whipped out his phone. Seeing that it was his boss, Arthur glared and answered. "What do you want?"

"One more chance, boy." the fat man hissed.

"What are you going on about?" Arthur snapped.

"A review was posted that you're boring and shouldn't be performing anymore." the man said.

"So what?" Arthur rolled his eyes. Pornstars for bad reviews all the time.

"You've been kicked off the top ten list."

Arthur felt the old man's words like a punch in the gut. He got his position because the guy before him was not generating enough views. The more views the stars got, the more money the fat man got, the higher pay the star got.

"I'll do better. I promise. I'll come in on time." as much as Arthur hated his job, he still needed it.

"Your words are useless. If you want to prove your worth, you do it by action."

Arthur winced. He knew that meant bigger and badder scenes, maybe even dicks. Though he was sure he could handle it, he just didn't want to.

"Right. I understand." Arthur said softly, defeated.

"Wonderful. Be at the studio by ten tomorrow morning and we'll go over a few things." Arthur could hear the fat man grinning his creepy smile.

Instead of replying, Arthur locked his phone and shoved it angrily in his pocket. Mumbling to himself, he stalked the bar until he found someone to fill his drink.

"Are you okay, Arthur?" Alfred asked, noticing he had hung up the phone.

"Yeah. Just job problems." Arthur took a large swig of his drink.

"Well, when's your next day off?" Alfred placed his hand on Arthur's wrist.

"With my boss, who knows." Arthur grumbled. It took him a solid five seconds to understand what Alfred was saying. "Oh!"

Alfred chuckled, though his cheeks darkened. "Sorry, nevermind."

"No!" Arthur said a little too loudly. He cleared his throat and tried again. "No, I'm sorry. I would love that."

A grin broke easily across Alfred's face. "Great!" he dug his phone from his pocket and placed it in Arthur's hand. "Put your number in, then I'll text you."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't done anything like this in a few years. It was nice. After typing in the number, he gave the phone back to Alfred. A few moments later, a smiley face with heart eyes appeared on Arthur's phone screen. He grinned. He sure was glad he came to this stupid reunion.

Alfred walked Arthur to a taxi a few hours later. Lingering to get in, Alfred was all smiles and Arthur hasn't felt this way about a man in a long time.

"It was wonderful to see you again." Arthur said, his hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"I'll call you tomorrow to plan our date." Alfred said softly.

Arthur grinned and ignored the taxi driver's snort. "I'll be waiting."

However, Alfred was paying attention to the man. "You better get in before he drives off."

"Alright." Arthur ducked his head and began to get fully inside the taxi when Alfred pulled him back out and planted a kiss right on his mouth.

Arthur froze before pressing back to Alfred. After a short eternity, Alfred pulled back. "Goodnight, Arthur."

The blond suddenly realized how heavily he was breathing. "Goodnight, Alfred."

He slid in the car and the taxi sped off. Arthur quickly mumbled his address and sat quietly with his lips tingling and his hands shaking.

Arthur was on time for his meeting with his boss. As people filed in, Arthur noticed a few high-profile performers, people Arthur would never imagine meeting. Though the company was professional, he was amature at best with these people.

With everyone that seemed of importance in the room, Arthur's boss took the stage. "We are here because one of my stars is losing his edge."

A few eyes flicked to Arthur, but the blond kept his eyes locked on the fat man. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction of looking nervous.

"So, I propose we get him back his top ten slot by using you gentlemen." The boss waved his hand to the famous performers.

Arthur felt his breath catch. He was going to make porn with these _idols_? He cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I don't want to."

A few of the men actually looked offended. Arthur pressed on, "I don't want my face blasted everywhere."

"That's the business." one of the other bosses snapped.

"Yes, but that's why I chose a not so popular website," though his boss snorted that time, he still continued. "I have a life outside of here."

"Not much of one." his boss said. Dismissing Arthur's comments, he addressed the rest of the men in the room. "Are we agreed then?"

The men shrugged. Most not caring as long as they get some ass and get paid.

Arthur shook his head and placed his hands on his face. If he wasn't in need of a job, he would have quit right then.

Alfred called as Arthur was getting ready for his top level performance. Arthur set his brush down to answer. "Hello?"

"H-hi, Arthur!" Alfred said. "Uhm, what are you up to?"

Arthur smiled at how nervous Alfred sounded, and he tried to ignore the low rumble of other people in the background. He was sure Alfred had his friends there, egging him on. "Just getting ready for one of my shoots. What about you, love?"

He threw in the 'love' as an afterthought, knowing very well Alfred's friends were listening in. He heard a few cheers in the background as Alfred answered.

"Oh, I'm just with some friends. How uh, how late is this shoot gonna be?" Alfred stumbled over his words and Arthur felt like he was back in high school with this chubby dork.

"Let me check." Arthur yanked his list into view. He glanced over the names and times. "Looks like my last shoot is at four. I should be done by five, five-thirty at the latest."

"Oh! That's great! Want to come hang out with us? We always go out on Sundays." Alfred said. It was pretty quiet on his line so Arthur guessed Alfred had moved to a different room.

Arthur glanced at his reflection, wondering if anyone would recognize him. He doubted it. He was popular but not _that_ popular. "Yeah. Where should I meet you?"

"Or I can pick you up?" Alfred said. "I'd love to see where you work."

"Uhm, were not allowed to have anyone besides cast and crew on set." Arthur said quickly. "I'll just take a cab to where you are."

"Alright, if you're sure." Alfred said. "Have a pen on ya?"

After writing down the address, Arthur placed the slip of paper in his jeans pocket. No one usually came in his room, but he didn't want to risk the chance of losing the paper.

"I'll let you know when I leave." Arthur said as a knock pounded on his door.

"Okay, see ya then."

Arthur smiled. "Bye, Alfred."

His first professional shoot went well. It wasn't as bad as the other tops, but Arthur still had to force his moans. He wasn't sure if he would ever enjoy sex again. Then he thought of Alfred and the moans came easier.

He knew he shouldn't think of Alfred in a sexual way so soon, but it was a lot better than thinking about how many asses the professional's dick had been in.

When his filming was over, Arthur thought of other things to get the naked image of Alfred out of his head. Well, somewhat naked, he did enjoy the thought of Alfred in some of his firefighter gear.

As Arthur waited for his taxi, he texted Alfred telling him he was on his way. He thought about adding that he couldn't wait to see him, but that seemed a bit much a bit soon. So Arthur just added a smiley face.

He got a text back almost immediately. Arthur smiled at Alfred's excited message and slid into the taxi. He rattled off the address and watched the buildings zoom past him until they became more distant from each other. Then fields with a single house. Finally the taxi pulled into a gravel pathway.

Arthur paid the cabbie, got out and called Alfred. This place just seemed kind of sketchy, he felt. He didn't want to get murdered today.

"Hey!" Alfred said. "Are you here?"

"I think so. Barn, small house?" the house could use another coat of paint, and the plants were growing wild around the front door, though the gravel was clear. The barn used to be red it looked like and seemed to be filled with nothing but hay, Arthur couldn't be sure.

"Yeah. Just let yourself through the house, we're on the back patio." Alfred was hard to hear due to background noise.

"Okay." Arthur opened the wooden door and walked slowly through the house. It was a single story with a long hallway and many doors. A living room painted light brown had an overstuffed couch and a recliner. Firefighter photos and other memorabilia crowded the tv case and the walls. Farther down, he found a horrible yellow kitchen with an ugly marble bar and wooden stools with a sunflower pattern cushions. Food covered the counter and the fridge had to be at least thirty years old. The hallway contained pictures of Alfred and who Arthur assumed was his family, based on the blue eyes, blond hair and matching grins.

Arthur got to a sliding door that lead to the back patio. He opened it slowly and was blasted with music. He stepped out and closed the door again, searching for Alfred.

"Arthur!"

The blond turned on his heel to see a large group of men and women. Alfred stood from the midst of them and wrapped Arthur in a hug. "Come meet everyone!"

Arthur stumbled after Alfred, unsure of how to react. The patio was huge, with a circle table and an umbrella, a grill with steam coming lazily from the sides, a miniature fridge and a basketball hoop to the side.

Alfred casually looped his arm around Arthur's shoulder and began rambling off names. Arthur smiled to each person, but forgot their name as he moved to the next. At the end, they all waved and welcomed Arthur easily.

"Go sit." Alfred said, nudging him to the table. "Want something to drink? Foods almost done."

Arthur really wanted a cup of tea, but didn't think Alfred would have any. "A pop would be fine." He didn't drink it very often and accepted the can Alfred handed him. He sat and cracked it open as conversation continued around him.

Alfred opened the grill and flipped food and sprinkled seasoning. Arthur watched with mild interest until he was dragged into talking to the group.

"We're all mostly firefighters-"

"And paramedics!" someone interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, but what do you do, Arthur?" the Brit was pretty sure Alfred had called this bloke Ivan, and the one who shouted out about paramedics was probably Matthew. Arthur only remembered that because he looked like Alfred.

"Oh, I make uh...films." Arthur replied, taking a sip of his over bubbly drink.

"What kind of movies?" another inquired.

"Bad British ones!" Alfred laughed, placing a heaping plate of burgers in the middle of the table.

Arthur turned and whacked Alfred in the middle of his chest. "Like you would know!"

"He does seem familiar though." Ivan said. A few nods came around the table.

"Oh, you just think that because every other British man is blond." Arthur chuckled, hoping he sounded convincing. "I don't really star in the movies." He took a long swig from his drink and maybe he just imagined the glint of recognition in Ivan's eyes, but either way, Arthur suddenly wanted the subject off of him completely.

People started making their plates and Arthur took that as an opportunity to change the subject. "Alfred, I'm very curious to know how a firefighter lives. Mind telling me about it?"

As Alfred rambled on about staying at the firehouse every few days and driving the firetruck, Arthur tried to ignore Ivan and the burning gaze the other man was giving him. It was like Ivan knew exactly what movie Arthur had starred in, and he really did not want to give Ivan a motive for telling everyone at the table, especially Alfred. So, Arthur played cool and listened attentively, even asking some questions to the others around the table. If Arthur made it in good with Alfred's friends, Ivan wouldn't have any reason to share his secret. That is, however, if Ivan even knew.

Arthur was no religious man, but he prayed that night to whatever God may be listening, that Ivan was just a slightly creepy man who always looked like he knew a secret he shouldn't know.


	3. Chapter 3

2005

Chapter 3

Arthur stood awkwardly at Alfred's door. He had somehow ended up being the last person to arrive and leave the party. Not that Alfred was rushing Arthur out. It was more along the lines of what they were supposed to do.

They had been friends to _years_ before Arthur had to leave. They knew everything about each other. Sure some things have changed but their souls were still the same.

"Do you work tomorrow?" Alfred asked casually.

Arthur grimaced as he remembered he had another shoot with the professional stars. "Yes, unfortunately."

Alfred chuckled and leaned against the door jam. Arthur had to look away as the living room light illuminated Alfred's hair and left his face in mysterious, sexy shadows. Not that Alfred was all that mysterious, but it still sent a thrill through Arthur.

"What about you? Are you working?" Arthur managed to ask.

"No. My shift ended earlier today so now I have the next couple days off." Alfred said.

"Oh, that's nice." Arthur chewed the inside of his cheek. If Alfred had the next few days off, that would give them plenty of time to go on a proper date.

"When do you usually get off work?" Alfred asked.

"Depends." Arthur shrugged. "Usually five or six."

"Well, wanna do something tomorrow?" Alfred asked, cheeks dusting pink. "Around seven?"

Arthur smiled. "Perfect. Wanna meet somewhere or…?"

"I can pick you up." Alfred beamed.

"I'll send you my address." Arthur said.

They were silent.

"Do you need a ride home tonight?" Alfred asked.

"No, thank you. I already called a cab." Arthur said, already regretting that decision. He could be alone with Alfred, in the dark, for at least twenty minutes.

"Alright. Night, Arthur." Alfred said softly.

"Good night, Alfred." Arthur smiled and made his way down the drive.

The door didn't close behind him until he reached the road and saw the cab's headlights. He risked a glance back and noticed one of the window curtains moving gently, as if someone had just been peeking outside.

Smiling to himself, Arthur climbed into the taxi.

Arthur closed his eyes tightly as the hot sticky semen dripped on his face. The man groaned above him and Arthur closed his mouth with a smile. He hoped that he could spit it out, but the cameraman zoomed in on his face.

Hiding a grimace, Arthur swallowed and opened his mouth to show his straight teeth and pink tongue clear of all the jizz. With a giggle and a few bats of his eyelashes, the director yelled _cut_ , and Arthur was able to let his scowl fall into place.

"Very good, er, I didn't get your name?" Arthur's most recent partner said, tying a robe off.

Arthur stood, wincing when his knees popped. "My videos title me as English Muffin." The man gave a half smile, unsure if Arthur was joking.

Arthur sighed and accepted the robe one of the assistants brought him. "It's Andrew."

"Andrew? Well, nice to meet you, officially. Sorry we didn't have time before we started shooting, I'm Joey." He stuck his hand out and Arthur raised an eyebrow. Joey was muscular, with dark curly hair and warm brown eyes. Arthur didn't like him.

"I just swallowed your come, do we really need a proper introduction?" Arthur tightened his robe and left the set to shower.

Arthur walked outside and adjusted his sunglasses. His cab was on the way to take him home and he was debating on what he would wear. He wasn't sure why he was stressing over it. This was _Alfred_ his best mate from high school.

Whom he hadn't seen in ten years.

"Andrew!" Someone shouted. Startling at the sudden voice, Arthur glanced around the parking lot for this Andrew, wondering why someone was shouting for the bastard.

Suddenly, Joey was beside him, grinning. "Andrew! Are you ignoring me?"

Arthur furrowed his brow. Why the fuck was this top calling him- oooohh. "Er, no. Sorry, I was spaced out."

"No worries." Joey grinned and Arthur didn't doubt he got his job just by doing that. "Why are you leaving so fast? And why the hat?"

Frowning, Arthur pulled the beanie more securely over his ears. "I don't want my friends to know I work here."

It was amazing how easy it was to lie once he started. Lying to his parents about being gay, and his job. He had lied to Alfred about the job as well, and now he was making up a fake name and a backstory to go along with it to a perfect stranger who he had had sex with a little over an hour ago.

"Ooh." Joey breathed. "Sorry about earlier. I like to introduce myself, and since you weren't there till last minute, I really didn't get a chance to-"

"Why are you talking to me?" Arthur asked. He never shared more than a few words with his tops and those were usually 'fuck that tight hole' or him being told to change into a new position.

"Because we're co-workers?" Joey asked.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Joey sighed. "Alright. I'm new to the set, I'm from Michigan, and since you were my first partner here, I thought we could be friends."

Shocked, Arthur couldn't help the laugh and eye roll that escaped him. " _Friends?"_

"Well, yeah." Though Joey looked hurt, Arthur didn't care.

"Why would I want to be friends with someone who fucks other people for living?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I don't need to date a porn star."

"So you would let other people date you? A porn star?" Joey said, obviously upset. "You're no better than I am."

Arthur flinched. He knew he was trash but he didn't need this asshole to remind him.

"I have to go." Arthur scowled and stalked to the taxi. Before the cab could stop, Arthur was in and slamming the door.

Arthur brushed his teeth twice when he got home. He had brushed them right after his shoot, but talking to Joey had made him feel nasty.

Once he felt clean, he began the long process of picking his outfit. Caught up trying to decide, all thoughts of Joey melted away. He couldn't comprehend why he was so nervous, Alfred was his best mate! They had gotten through two years of bullies together, why was this so different?

Because they were adults? They were okay to be gay now that it was 2015? There were still homophobes against them, but gays could get married almost everywhere in the United States. So why was Arthur fretting over which shade of green sweater best complimented his eyes?

After wasting all his time debating what to wear, Alfred was at the door. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Arthur grabbed the first shirt to touch his hand and rushed to the door.

He spent an extra ten seconds to fix his clothes before he swung the door open. Alfred stood in front of him, smiling his usual smile with just a touch of blush to his cheeks, and was he holding flowers?

"I got these for you." Alfred said, holding out the small bouquet of yellow and pink tulips. "I wasn't sure what you liked so I asked the lady and she said-"

"They're beautiful." Arthur grinned and took the flowers in his arms.

Alfred's cheeks visibly darkened and he felt foolish. He was nearly thirty and blushing because his crush liked the flowers. "It's a nice neighborhood, that acting job must pay you well."

Arthur filled a vase full of water. "Yes, they pay me enough. I also get some money for each view my movie gets."

"That's cool! My extra pay depends on how dangerous the fire is. Kinda makes me feel bad when I go to a forest fire and hope it burns for a few days." Alfred's tone had started out cheerful, but slowly turned to shame as he talked.

"Oh, Alfred. I-"

"It's okay. I chose this job. Gotta deal with what comes with it."

Arthur set his flowers on his small kitchen table. He felt like a complete arse for complaining about his job. He wasn't like Alfred, who jumped in fires to save kittens and puppies.

"Anyway, I know this really good Chinese place. Is that okay?"

Quickly composing himself, Arthur smiled. "That sounds great!"

Alfred grinned and linked arms with Arthur. "Good, because I already made reservations."

Arthur laughed behind his hand and let Alfred drag him outside. He only stopped to make sure his door was locked before Alfred had him inside a flat black '67 Cadillac. Arthur didn't think much of it until he saw the dog tags that belonged to Alfred's father hanging from the rearview mirror.

"Is this the same car we used to hide in when we were kids?" Arthur asked, astonished.

"Yup. Dad gave it to me shortly after you left. I restored it over that summer. That's when I got skinny." Alfred explained. He started up the engine. It was loud, but the good kind of loud the oldsters have.

"Wait," Arthur suddenly blushed. "Didn't we…?"

Alfred grinned. "So you _do_ remember."

"How could I forget our first kiss?" Arthur said while batting his lashes.

Laughing, Alfred pulled into the street. "We also did _other_ things in the backseat."

Arthur felt his cheeks darken further. It was strange, he could tell other men to shove their dicks in him without a spike of embarrassment. But as soon as he started talking to Alfred about their stolen moments in the backseat of this very car, he was a blushing schoolgirl. "Do we have to talk about that?"

Alfred laughed and as he drove with his left hand, his right arm came to rest across the back of the bench seat. His fingers barely an inch away from Arthur's shoulders. Arthur found he didn't mind how close they were, but how far away Alfred's touch was.

At the restaurant, the tables were small. Though Arthur was fairly short, Alfred's long legs somehow ended up being woven with his. It was rather comfortable despite the look of it.

They ordered and ate like ten years had never passed between them. Though Arthur never knew Alfred had ended up going to college and became one of the most popular boys in his class. Arthur had quickly skirted that subject. He had been making ameture porn while the rest of his classmates finished their education.

Alfred kept bumping his leg against Arthur's, even though they were already pressed against each other. If it was anyone else, Arthur hypothesized as he sipped his tea, he would have gotten upset and snapped at his date. However, Alfred's teasing grin and dancing eyes kept his legs in place, no matter how many times Alfred jostled him.

"Dessert?" The waitress asked as she picked up the used plates.

Nodding, Alfred waved a calloused hand toward Arthur. "Whatever he wants."

Cheeks darkening, he glanced at the desserts. There were a few Chinese desserts he wasn't sure of and a few cakes, pies and flavors of ice cream. "How about a chocolate cake?"

The girl smiled. "Coming right up."

Alfred chuckled and took a sip of his pop.

"What?" Arthur raised a brow.

"Chocolate cake was always your favorite. Couldn't make it for the life of ya, but you always had some." Alfred grinned over his glass.

Arthur smirked. "Only because your mother baked one every week. You were my supplier. Did you think I was friends with you because I liked you?"

Alfred faked offence. "You were using me?" He wiped away invisible tears. "How could you?"

"I only used you for cake." Arthur said solemnly.

"And all this time I thought you loved me." Alfred threw his hands in the air.

Arthur started to say something, then choked on his words. Did Alfred just say the 'L' word?

"Artie? You alright?" Alfred said as Arthur coughed.

Nodding, Arthur took a quick sip from his water glass. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"One chocolate cake!" The waitress slid the dessert with two spoons poking out of the bottom between the two blonds.

Alfred thanked her as she walked away. "I've never had cake from here before."

Arthur smiled and picked up a spoon. "It's probably nothing like your mother's. How is she anyway?" He had suddenly realized they had talked about Alfred's mother without once mentioning how she was doing.

The firefighter paused, a spoonful of cake halfway to his mouth. "She's dead, Arthur."

Silence fell between them. "What?"

"Yeah. They found a brain tumor after she fell a few years back. There was nothing they could do." Though Alfred's voice didn't change, his eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Alfred. I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Arthur breathed.

Alfred shook his head and quickly blinked away his tears. "It's alright. We got to say goodbye. She went peacefully."

Arthur clutched Alfred's hand. "She was a great woman."

The firefighter smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Artie."

They finished their cake in respectful silence. Once outside, the mournful feeling lifted from their shoulders. Their hands were still joined as they walked to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

2005

Chapter 4

Arthur didn't want to leave. The car was warm and Alfred's hands were hot on his hips. Not to mention how scorching his lips were.

They were seated in the front seat of Alfred's Caddy, parked by Arthur's apartment building, and Arthur had never been more thankful for bench seats.

He leaned back against the door as Alfred's hands slid up his shirt and across his back. Alfred's mouth left his and began to make a trail down his neck.

It was wonderful and warm and sexy. Arthur found that his soft moans were real and he was actually enjoying himself, then he thought of Joey. Arthur had slept with over fifty men at least, why would Alfred want someone like him? Because he didn't know. Arthur had to stop.

"Al, Alfred." Arthur said, though it was another moan. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Alfred."

The blond froze and looked up at Arthur, confusion swam in his blue eyes.

"We can't do this," Arthur meant to end it at that, but couldn't. "At least, not here. Not now."

Alfred nodded and sat up. Arthur suddenly felt cold. "Okay. I understand."

Except he didn't understand. Not really. Arthur adjusted his shirt and ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair. "I should go inside. We don't want some mom to look out her window and see a suspicious car."

Alfred chuckled at the lame joke. "Good idea."

Arthur looked at Alfred for a moment. "Want to hear something?"

"I'm all ears."

"This was the most fun I've had in years." Arthur admitted truthfully.

Alfred's cheeks darkened a tad. "Gee, Artie. I dunno bout _that_ ," he rubbed a hand behind his neck. "I'm sure you've had lots of fun."

"No, really." Arthur smiled and pressed a kiss to Alfred's mouth. "Do you work tomorrow?"

"The day after. Do you? We can go see a movie or something." Alfred said eagerly.

Arthur beamed. "Yeah, I work, but I'll text you when I get home."

"Awesome! I'll see you tomorrow," Alfred said and started the engine.

"Night, Al." Arthur chuckled and reached for the door handle.

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Hm?" Arthur turned in his seat and was suddenly enveloped in Alfred's arms. When Alfred pulled away, he kissed Arthur soundly.

"Good night," Alfred whispered against Arthur's lips.

Arthur swallowed and smiled. "Night, Al. Text me when you're home," then he climbed out of the Cadillac.

Once inside, he looked out the window and saw Alfred still parked. Arthur grinned at the thought that Alfred had waited until he was safe inside before leaving. He raised a hand in a wave. With a single honk, Alfred pulled from the curb and disappeared from Arthur's sight.

Alfred cooked himself breakfast every day when he didn't work. It was hard to get a hot meal in when as soon as he sat down, the fire alarm went off. So, when he could, he went all out. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs and piping hot coffee.

While he ate, he got a message. He glanced at his phone and saw it was from Arthur. Not wanting to seem too clingy, he set the phone aside and finished his meal.

But he didn't. Three bites later and he was reading a good morning text from a certain blond with pretty green eyes.

Alfred grinned and texted back. He thought about adding smiley emojis, then decided against it. Arthur didn't seem like the kind of guy to do emojis. He settled on just a casual _Good Morning!_

They had a pleasant conversation about how their morning was. Then, Alfred had a great idea. What if they went on a double date? Arthur didn't have much friends, as far as Alfred could gather, and what better friends than firefighters?

He quickly typed out his idea, leaving out the no-friends part, and sent it to Arthur. As he waited, he made a list of all his friends in his mind. Matthew was still single, though he had his eyes on some French paramedic dude, so they wouldn't really be good for a _date._ Elizabeta, who was a paramedic with Matthew, was married to Roderick, who didn't like Alfred. He quickly counted them out. Then there was Ivan-

Alfred could have smacked himself. _Duh._ Ivan was his firefighter partner. They always had each other's backs. Ivan was Alfred's best friend. Not to mention he was practically engaged to Yao, who was as big of a stuck up (in the most endearing way) as Arthur was. It was perfect!

It took Arthur a bit longer to text back this time, but he approved of the double date.

Grinning, Alfred quickly texted Ivan and began to clean his breakfast mess. When Ivan replied that he and Yao would be free, Alfred knew it would be a great day.

It was a terrible day. First, no one told Arthur he started the day off in a gangbang, which was always the most exhausting. Second, Alfred wanted to go on a double date, which was fine until he was informed it was Ivan they would be hanging out the Ivan who Arthur was at least 54% sure knew he was a porn star. Third, he was now being choked by Joey while his dick slid up and down his ass.

As irritating as it was, Arthur wished Joey would just start already. The sooner he put it in the sooner it would come out.

Finally, Joey pushed inside Arthur. The blond moaned and found it wasn't entirely forced. Though he loathed the thought of enjoying his scenes now that he was older, Joey was different than the others. It could be he had tried to talk to Arthur. Or maybe it was because his body build was much like Alfred's. When Joey started thrusting into Arthur, he decided it was definitely the latter.

They changed positions three times before Joey came inside Arthur. He pulled out and Arthur prepared himself for the small dribble of come to leak down his crack. He eyed the camera and reached between his legs. However, before he could scoop the come off, Joey had slurped up his half-hard cock.

"Wait-" Arthur's weak protest was abruptly cut of by his moans. He let his head fall back. With his eyes closed, he enjoyed the rare treatment Joey gave him. All too soon, Arthur came harshly in Joey's face.

Joey merely wiped most of it off before planting a kiss on Arthur's lips. His tongue went down Arthur's throat and his come slicked fingers danced along Arthur's skin. When he pulled back, a small string of saliva connected them.

"Cut!" the director yelled, obviously flustered.

Arthur sat up and pushed Joey off him. "What was that?"

"What?" Joey asked, accepting a robe from a blushing assistant.

"That was completely uncalled for!" Arthur snatched his own robe and quickly yanked it on. "I did not agree to this!"

"I'm sorry."

"Just because I'm a bottom, it doesn't give you permission to-"

"I'm _sorry_ , okay? I was just trying to help," Joey cinched the ties on his robe.

Arthur opened his mouth, but only strangled noises came out. He closed his jaw, cleared his throat and tried again. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Joey repeated. "I thought you were all grouchy because you were pent up, so I thought I would help."

Arthur couldn't think of anything to say. Does he thank Joey for a much needed bowjob? Or should he huff and walk away. He chose the latter.

He stalked back to his room, grumbling under his breath. He got in the shower and scrubbed furiously at his hair and genitals. He knew he was more relaxed than before, but chose to ignore it.

Once clean, he grabbed a fresh robe, the assistants kept many handy, and went to check his schedule. He had one more shoot, then he could go home and get ready for his date. His double date. With Ivan. Arthur groaned.

It wasn't the fact Alfred asked for a double date. It was that _Ivan_ was coming. The first time Arthur met him, he had a sneaky feeling that Ivan knew exactly who he was. He didn't want to risk hanging around him to prove Ivan's suspicions. Plus, Arthur didn't know Ivan. What if he told Alfred his real job?

He knew he would have to tell Alfred sometime, but not now. They were still getting back to their old friendship. He didn't want to ruin it by telling Alfred he had had sex with so many different men.

Alfred came from a somewhat religious house. They had all accepted him as gay. They went to church during Easter and Christmas. They weren't too fond of children born out of wedlock, but it didn't bother them to have sex before marriage. However, _having sex_ and _porn star_ were two very different things.

Arthur would tell Alfred in his own time. Maybe after he knew Alfred would understand, or when he could afford to quit. He just didn't want Ivan to tell Alfred.

With a sigh, Arthur dressed for his next shoot and went to set.

Alfred opted for a more relaxed outfit. Everyone had agreed to see a movie then go to dinner, so he didmt expect any place super fancy.

As he drove to Arthur's house, he thought about stopping to get flowers again. He quickly rejected that idea. He didn't want to give flowers two days in a row, that was lame. Instead, he would let Arthur pick out their movie snacks. Alfred smiled and sang along to the radio.

He arrived at Arthur's apartment and parked on the street. Keys in hand, he went up the single flight of stairs to Arthur's door. He had barely lowered his hand after knocking when the door swung open.

"I'm so sorry! I'm running a bit behind," Arthur said sheepishly. His hair was dripping water on a towel draped over his shoulders and all be wore were jeans.

Alfred grinned and kept his eyes firmly on Arthur's face. "No worries, the movie doesn't start for a little bit longer."

"Great, come in. I won't be ten minutes," Arthur closed the door behind Alfred. Walking back to his room, he called over his shoulder, "Have a seat. There's some drinks in the fridge if you're thirsty."

"Great," Alfred called. "Thank you," though he had no interest in getting a drink. Arthur had pushed him out the door so fast last night, Alfred didn't get a good look around. He wasn't a snoop, but he was curious.

The front door opened up to the living room, to the right the kitchen was separated by a half wall that reached Alfred's hips. The living room consisted of a loveseat couch, a TV on a glass stand, with a row of DVDs on the lower shelf, and a large bookcase.

Alfred went to scan the DVDs. He knew Arthur wasn't a main character in any of his movies, but he was sure he would have a few. That's what actors do, right? However as Alfred read the movie titles, he found he had seen all of them, and only a few were British movies. He never once remembered seeing Arthur in any of them. And he was sure he would have recognized his best friend.

With a slight frown, Alfred read through the list again. He found nothing new. It didn't mean anything, really. Arthur did say he was just a background character, so why would he have a movie of that?

"Okay, you ready?" Arthur came from his room with a smile.

"Yeah," Alfred pushed himself from his crouched position and went to the door. "Do you know what movie you want to see?"

"I'm fine with anything, really," Arthur smiled and grabbed his wallet and keys from a table beside the door.

"Alright, I'm sure Yao will be picky about it anyway," Alfred held the door open as Arthur shoved his wallet in his pocket.

"Yao?"

"He's Ivans boyfriend thing," Alfred replied.

"Boyfriend _thing_?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Yao is very stubborn. He doesn't like that Ivan is a firefighter and won't let himself be called his boyfriend, husband or whatever," Alfred opened the Caddy door for Arthur. "But he refuses to leave Ivan."

"So they're together?" Arthur asked before Alfred closed to door.

Alfred jogged around the front of the car and got in before he could answer. "They live together, Ivan says they have sex and say 'I love you,' but Yao won't say they're a couple."

"But why?" Arthur asked.

"Yao wants Ivan to quit. He thinks it's too dangerous. Not to mention Ivan is gone for days at a time. It's tough on a spouse." Alfred started the Cadillac and they rolled smoothly away from the curb.

"I guess I can understand where he's coming from," Arthur mused. "He wants to be the center of Ivan's focus."

Alfred shrugged. "They're weird, but they work together."

"That must be nice," Arthur contemplated softly. "Having someone you can be completely comfortable with. Even if Yao won't call himself Ivan's boyfriend or husband."

"Yeah," Alfred glanced at Arthur out of the corner of his eye and grabbed his hand. "It is."

Arthur smiled and squeezed Alfred's hand. Arthur decided in that moment that he would tell Alfred everything. Maybe not tonight, but he would.


	5. Chapter 5

2005

Chapter 5

Ivan and Yao were at the movie theater when Alfred and Arthur arrived. Introductions were made and Arthur kept avoiding eye contact with Ivan. He tried not to make it obvious, but he couldn't risk Ivan getting a decent look at him

Arthur and Yao were instant friends. Yao was a tad shorter than Arthur and had his long brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He told Arthur he was from China and that he and Ivan were most definitely not a couple, though Ivan's hand was placed comfortably on Yao's power back.

While Ivan and Alfred decided on a movie Yao and Arthur talked. Yao stayed at home and ran a website for troubled and suicidal teens. He handled donations and even went to pick kids up who needed a ride home or to a hospital. Arthur felt his eyes get a little wet listening to Yao talk about his job.

After Alfred and Ivan purchased the tickets, Alfred all but dragged Arthur over to the snacks.

"Pick whatever you want!" Alfred cheered. His hand was wrapped with Arthur's as he tugged him along the counter display.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, Ivan and I chose the movie, so you pick our snacks. But we're getting popcorn no matter what."

Arthur chuckled. "Alright, if you insist." He chose a chocolate bar and a small soda while alfred opted for a large Coke and a giant popcorn drowned in butter and salt.

They went through the line to get inside the theater and Arthur handed his snacks to Alfred. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Alfred asked. He looked quite comical with his arms full of treats.

Arthur blushed slightly and flicked his eyes to the bathrooms. Alfred nodded, his mouth in a cute 'o' shape. "Okay, I'll go get our seats."

"Wait for me, Arthur," Ivan said. Instead of asking Yao to hold his snacks, he just piled them into Alfred's arms.

"Why can't Yao carry it?" Alfred glared, obviously struggling.

"He's not my boyfriend," Yao said with a smirk.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "We'll see you guys in there," he turned and went into the theatre. Yao, sipping on his drink, followed.

Once they were out of sight, Arthur quickly turned on his heel. He didn't want to be alone with Ivan for very long. However, Ivan had other plans. He placed a large hand on Arthur's shoulder, abruptly stopping his retreat.

"Are you who I think you are?" Ivan's voice was flat and Arthur found it rather scary.

Arthur clenched his jaw and shrugged his shoulders, feigning nonchalance. "I don't know what you mean."

Ivan was silent as a group of giggling girls passed them. Once they were gone, Ivan narrowed his eyes. "You are, aren't you?"

"You have to talk in a way that makes sense," Arthur folded his arms.

"You're a porn star," Ivan growled.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at him before looking at his shoes. He didn't know what to say.

"I knew it," Ivan shook his head.

"I'm not going to apologize, if that's what you're after," Arthur muttered.

"I just want to know what you're doing with Alfred," Ivan folded his arms.

"What?"

"Are you going to make him a stud or something?"

"Why would I do that?" Arthur raised a brow. "And where did you even get that idea?"

"I don't know, don't you guys have to recruit or something? And you sleep with seven guys a day, I wouldn't put it past you to try to get into Alfred's pants," Ivan said.

Growing irritated with the conversation, Arthur narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" Arthur sighed. "We're going to miss the movie." He didn't care about the movie, but he did want out of Ivans dark glare. And he did want to hold Alfred's hand and cuddle in the dark.

"I want to know your plans for Alfred."

Arthur shrugged. "A relationship? He is the only person I've dated in a long time."

Ivan breathed through his nose. "Have you told him?"

"No," Arthur said. "Not yet."

Before Ivan could judge and yell at him for keeping such a big secret from Alfred, Arthur spoke again. "I want this relationship to last. I don't know how he'll accept my job. I'm hoping, if we can be close again, he'll understand. I'm going to tell him. Just not yet."

Ivan nodded. "Very well. Just remember," Ivan took a step closer to Arthur. "If you hurt him, or try to get him in a video, or make him lose his job, I'll make sure not only Alfred knows your dirty secret, but everyone will."

Arthur pressed his back against the wall. He felt a trickle of fright in the back of his throat, but he didn't lower his gaze. Finally, Ivan stepped back and went into the theater. Arthur let out a breath and quickly did his business before following Ivan.

Alfred grinned at him as he sat down. Arthur accepted his treats and drink and settled in beside Alfred. Yao and Alfred were between him (Arthur) and Ivan, who had his hand neatly joined with Yao's in his lap.

"Everything okay?" Alfred whispered.

Arthur managed a smile. "Yes. There was a line."

Alfred nodded and looked to the screen. Arthur let himself relax and leaned into Alfred. He could forget about Ivan for at least two hours.

The movie ended and Arthur lead them down the stairs. Alfred managed to fall back to walk beside Ivan with Yao pulling ahead.

Alfred was glad for the chatter of the crowd. He wanted to talk to Ivan alone, but didn't think he would get a chance to the rest of the night.

"Ivan," Alfred said in a loud whisper.

His friend glanced over his shoulder at Alfred. Ivan's arms were almost overflowing with his and Yao's trash. "What?"

"Did you say something to Arthur while you guys were in the bathroom?"

Ivan flashed Alfred a smile. "I might have."

"What did you say? He's acting weird," Alfred said. They reached the end of the stairs and walked side by side. Arthur and Yao were ahead of them, talking about the movie.

"I just told him I would kill him if he decided to hurt you," Ivan said casually. "You know, best friend stuff."

"You did not!" Alfred groaned.

Ivan laughed. "Maybe not in so many words. I was just making sure he was the Arthur you thought he was."

Alfred nodded slowly. He guessed that made sense, Ivan was just looking out for him.

"Ivaaan!" Yao called from the trash cans. He and Arthur stood waiting for the other two. "Hurry up, I'm hungry!"

Ivan rolled his eyes. Him and Alfred ceased conversation and joined Arthur and Yao.

"Where did you want to go, darling?" Ivan asked after he tossed the garbage.

Yao looked at Arthur and the two talked quietly for a moment. They decided on a pizza place a few blocks away.

On the short car ride over, Alfred didn't say anything to Arthur about Ivan. They held hands and chatted about the movie. At dinner, Ivan didn't pull Arthur aside for another talk. Hell, they didn't even speak to each other through the whole meal.

Alfred took Arthur home after they paid for the pizza. They were in a comfortable silence, hands joined in Arthur's lap. He was gazing out the window, reading signs for insurance companies, lawyers, movie releases-

"That reminds me," Alfred said. It was oddly loud in the quiet of the car.

"What, Al?"

"How come you don't have any of the movies you've been in?"

Arthur hesitated. He couldn't very well say that they were all online and he had made his boss sign a contract forbidding him to make any hard-copy videos or pictures of him.

He shrugged in what he hoped was a casual way. "You can't really see me in them. You have to pause and look through the crowd to pick me out."

"But wouldn't be cool to have them when you get to be a star? You could show everyone where you started then show them the cover of a movie with you as the main actor!" Alfred said. "It would be really motivating. Especially to the kids."

Arthur felt a smile twitch his lips. "What kids?"

A blush crawled up Alfred's cheeks. Visible even in the dark. "Well, I've always wanted kids. I usually think about them when I do something. Like if I would be proud to show them what I have done."

Arthur's smile quickly fell from his face. He turned away from Alfred before he could notice. He would most certainly not be proud to show his future children (if he had any) what kind of man he was. Hell, he wasn't even brave enough to show his boyfriend. If you could call Alfred his boyfriend.

"I didn't know you thought of children," Arthur said after a long moment.

"It's not like I ask Cthulhu for one every night before bed. They come to my mind when I see a park or when I'm playing baseball."

"Wait, what? Cthulhu?" Arthur furrowed his brow.

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, the octopus-demon guy. I find that people get offended when I say 'God' a lot of the time, so I started saying Cthulhu."

Arthur covered his mouth as he laughed. He had forgotten how much Alfred had loved to read. Of course he would do such a silly thing.

"Do you, uh," Alfred hesitated as he pulled the car to Arthur's apartment. He set the break before speaking. "Do you want to have kids?"

If the internet ever died, maybe. Arthur shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

Alfred gave a slow nod. "Would you?"

"Think about it?"

"Yeah," Alfred's cheeks darkened. "I mean, I'm not saying you're going to marry me tomorrow, or even in a few years, but if we're going to be together I just want to know you want the same things as me so when, ah, I mean if. _If_ we get married we'll know that we both want-"

"Alfred."

"Er," Alfred grimaced. "Yeah?"

"I'll think about it," Arthur said.

With a grin, Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur. "You're the best, Artie!"

Arthur forced out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, now get out of here. Aren't you working tomorrow?"

"I am," Alfred said with a slight pout. "Guess we can't have a date tomorrow."

"Maybe I can bring you some dinner," Arthur suggested.

"I don't know, Artie. If you cook you cook for the whole crew. And only the wives come in and do it."

"Do you not want me to come in?" Arthur asked. He doubted it was true, but he felt the pang in his chest just the same.

"What! No! I'm just saying that girlfriends and boyfriends don't show up at the station as often!" Alfred exclaimed. His hands clamored to hold Arthur's.

Arthur laughed and rolled his eyes. "It's fine! I don't have to come if you don't want me to."

"No, Arthur," Alfred sighed. Arthur thought he was rather cute flustered like this. "I want you to come. I want to see you whenever I can. I just don't want you to come down and then we have to leave or if the other guys give you a hard time, I don't want them to scare you off."

"You are ridiculous," Arthur shook his head.

"What?"

"It will take a lot more than that to scare me off."

Alfred smiled. "I hope you don't."

Arthur felt a blush creep up his cheeks. "I don't think I will."

"Good," Alfred's hand found Arthur's thigh while their lips met.

A honk startled them apart. They were blocking the tenant parking lot. Arthur glared over his shoulder at the headlights while Alfred laughed. "I guess that means you have to go."

"Yeah. Let me know when you get home," Arthur said and gave Alfred a quick kiss before climbing out.

He waved an apology at the car behind him and jogged up to his apartment. He showered, dressed and was heating up water for some bedtime tea when Alfred texted him.

 _Everyone likes McDonald's. If you want to bring 20 or so hamburgers I'll have the guys pay you back._

Arthur grinned and sent him a message saying he would see him tomorrow with a rather ridiculous amount of hamburgers for him and the rest of his crew mates.


	6. Chapter 6

2005

Chapter Six

Arthur heaved his four brown McDonald's bags from the backseat of the taxi. He tipped the cabbie a bit much for the ride since he had him go to the drive-through.

With a final thanks, he made his way up to the fire station. Alfred had given him instructions on where to go, but he still felt awkward walking through the building.

He turned the corner and saw Alfred talking to a tall blond man. Arthur recognized him from Alfred's party a while ago, but couldn't recall his name.

As he got closer, Arthur grinned. "Alfred! I could use some help with these bags!"

Alfred turned and - it wasn't Alfred. Arthur stopped dead in his tracks as the man griped. "I thought we were over calling me Alfred."

"I'm sorry, you just looked like him and-" Arthur felt the words tumble out of his mouth. The other man behind the Alfred-look-alike snickered.

"Wait. Aren't you the guy Alfred had over for his barbeque?" not-Alfred said.

"Yeah. I'm Arthur," he attempted a smile and was relieved when the other man returned it.

"That's right. I'm Matthew, that's Francis. Sorry for yelling at you, I thought you were one of the guys," he ended with a light laugh.

"Right, I remember you. Sorry I called you Alfred," Arthur said sheepishly.

"It's no problem. Need some help with that?" Before Arthur could answer, Matthew had taken one of the bags from him.

"Thanks. Alfred said to bring you guys lunch. I'm not sure where to go," Arthur said.

"Leave it to Alfred to send his boyfriend to get McDonald's," the man named Francis muttered.

Arthur blushed. "He says I'm his boyfriend?"

Matthew grinned. "Well, he freaks out when we say that. Come on, we'll take you to the rest of the guys."

Cheeks still red, Arthur followed Matthew and Francis to what looked like a living room and kitchen combo. The only thing separating the living area and the kitchen was a long, worn leather couch.

"Hey, guys," Matthew called. "Alfred's boyfriend brought us food. Pay up!"

Eight or so men stood up and began to dig for their wallets. Alfred jogged over to Arthur, looking rather sexy in his tight fire station shirt. "Hey, Artie. Did you find us okay?"

Arthur smiled as Alfred plucked the bag from his hands. "Yes. Matthew showed me the rest of the way. I thought he was you."

Alfred laughed and lead Arthur to the kitchen. There was a long wooden table with mismatched chairs around it. A pile of ones and quarters were in the middle. "Yeah, some people think we're brothers, but were not related."

"Kind of crazy since you look so alike," Arthur said. The firemen took their seats and burgers were passed around.

"Yeah. They called Matthew 'Alfred' for like three months," Alfred said. He took a large bite of his burger, chewed, then scooped up the money on the table. "Here, Artie," Alfred placed the money in Arthur's hand.

"Oh, no. I don't need money," Arthur said. He tried to hand it back but the table exploded in food-muffled protests.

Alfred swallowed and grinned. "No one buys everyone food. We all pitch in. If you don't take it, we'll have to beat you up."

Arthur smiled shyly and shoved the money in his pocket. "Just don't get my face. The producers would be mad."

"They don't want that pretty face bruised on camera?" Ivan asked. Arthur hadn't noticed he was there until now. He felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Careful who you call pretty, Ivan," Alfred said. He placed a hand on the small of Arthur's back. "We wouldn't want Yao to know you find blond hair and green eyes attractive."

Ivan grinned. "Then he _really_ wouldn't be with me."

Laughs were scattered around the table. Arthur tried to join but found his mouth dry. He put a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Where can I get something to drink?"

"I'll get it," Alfred stood. "Water? Or we have Gatorade. There might be a soda or two."

"Water is fine, thanks," Arthur said with a small smile.

Alfred went to fetch a glass of water and Arthur was left alone with the firefighters. He sank into Alfred's chair. There was light talking and a few laughs around the table. Arthur tried to enjoy it but he felt Ivan's harsh gaze on him. He wasn't sure how long Ivan was going to try to glare holes in his head, but it was getting old.

"Here," Alfred said.

Arthur startled then smiled at him. "Thanks." He went to stand but Alfred quickly had him sit again. Arthur felt a blush creeping up his cheeks.

Just as everyone was finishing lunch, a loud alarm ringed through the area. Last bites were thrown in mouths and trash was left at the table as they sprinted away. Alfred started to go but paused and looked at Arthur.

"I can stay if you need me to," Alfred said hesitantly.

"No, no, you go on and save some lives," Arthur stood. "I'll be here when you get back."

"It could take a while. Go home and I'll call you when we're done," Alfred said.

"Jones! Get your ass over here!" someone shouted.

"Okay, be careful," Arthur said.

Alfred smiled and pressed a kiss to Arthur's cheek. "I'm always careful." Then he ran off with the other guys.

Arthur sighed once the racket had died down. He cleaned up the wrappers (finding the garbage can after a few minutes of searching), tucked in the chairs and swept the crumbs off the table. He left the fire station to go to work.

Alfred ran back outside, one of the last two children in his arms. Ivan was behind him with the other one. He passed the little girl to Matthew while Francis received the boy from Ivan's arms.

Alfred yanked off the oxygen mask and breathed in the fresh air, coughing a few times. Ivan braced himself on his knees beside him.

"You okay?" Alfred coughed out.

Ivan nodded. "You?"

"Think so," Alfred said. He felt a little dizzy. Matthew jogged over to them.

"You guys need to come to the ambulance," Matthew said.

"What about the kids?" Alfred took the supportive arm Matthew offered.

"They're on their way to the hospital," Francis said, joining them. He wrapped Ivan's arm around his shoulder.

Alfred nodded. His head was already clearing up, but it was mandatory to have the medics check them over before they could return to the fire station.

Matthew dropped Alfred on a free gurney. Alfred shrugged out of his jacket with Matthew's help. He was exhausted and emotionally drained.

A nanny had fallen asleep while she had a pizza in the oven. Luckily the kids had managed to call 911 and started to get everyone out. However the nanny, probably fearing for her job, had tried to smother the fire herself. She didn't make it. Alfred always felt a heavier blow when someone died. It was bad enough to see the ruins of someone's home. It was awful seeing the remains of a body.

"So, all joking aside," Matthew said as he looked Alfred over. "What are you and Arthur?"

Alfred was quiet for a moment. "Well," he began, "we were friends in high school. We were super close."

Matthew watched Alfred closely. He inhaled smoke despite the mask and if he started to act strange, he knew something was wrong. It was easier to detect problems with firefighters when they were distracted.

"His father didn't approve of him being gay so they moved away the day after graduation. I didn't see him again until our reunion and we had a date."

"So now you're reacquainted," Matthew said. He cleared Alfred and helped him back into his jacket.

Alfred grinned. "Yeah. We're getting pretty close again."

Ivan scoffed. He was about a few feet away on another gurney. Francis was laying him back.

"What is it Ivan?" Alfred slid off his bed-on-wheels. His head had cleared up and he was ready to help the other guys handle the hose.

"He has some smoke inhalation," Francis said as Alfred got closer. "He'll have to go to the hospital."

"What? Is he going to be okay?" Alfred felt worry drop in his stomach. It was never good when a firefighter had to go to the hospital.

"He should be," Francis replied. He strapped Ivan to the gurney.

"Alfred, I'm fine," Ivan said with a smile. "You can trust me."

"Well duh I trust you, you're my best friend," Alfred said. He jogged along with Matthew and Francis as they rolled Ivan to the ambulance.

"Then trust me when I say Arthur isn't being honest with you," Ivan said. A hacking cough took over his body.

"What? You're talking crazy. You'll be fine. Tell me when you're better," Alfred said. He stopped at the back of the ambulance and watched as Matthew and Francis hauled Ivan in. Alfred could make out Ivan's piercing gaze before Matthew closed the doors.

"Do you want to come with us?" Matthew asked.

"No. I'm okay. I'll finish up here then head to the hospital. I'll call Yao, so you guys go ahead."

Matthew gave a brief nod and jogged to the driver's side door. He climbed in, the sirens flared to life and the ambulance took off. Alfred adjusted his jacket and went back to the fire truck. He tried to focus on his work, but Ivan's words kept coming to his head.

"Andrew! I was wondering when you were gonna show up!"

Wincing Arthur turned and looked at Joey. He had _almost_ made it to his dressing room without bumping into somebody. Leave it to this bastard to ruin it. "Hey. How are you?"

Already half undressed, Joey sauntered up to Arthur, a grin on his handsome face. "I'm good. What about you?"

Joey shrugged. Arthur kept his eyes firmly on Joey's face, even if his muscular torso was exposed. "Same shit, different day."

"I suppose," Arthur said stonily.

There was silence between them. Joey scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "So I have a question."

"I might have an answer."

Joey shuffled his feet and, for a moment, Arthur thought he looked more like a child than a porn star. "Are you seeing anyone right now?"

"What?" Arthur dropped the key to his dressing him. He and Joey both knelt down to pick it up.

Joey laughed self-consciously, let Arthur pick up his key and stood. "Do you have a boyfriend? I'm assuming you date men. Unless your girl is cool with your job and all."

"Is this some way of asking me out? Didn't I tell you I don't need to acquaintance myself with you kind of people?" Arthur asked, thinking Joey was hitting on him.

"You mean our kind of people? You're a whore, too."

"I'm really sick of having the same conversation with you."

"I'm sick of you bring a complete jerk. I'm just asking you a simple question."

Arthur jammed his key into the door handle lock. "Whether I am in a relationship is none of your concern."

"I just saw you with a man the other day and was curious. I wasn't sure if he was your boyfriend or not. He was pretty cute."

Anger tickled Arthur's spine. He swung the door open and stepped in. "Goodbye, Joey."

"Actually my first set is with you. I'll see you in about ten minutes," Joey said. He smiled, winked and sauntered down the hall.

Arthur harrupmhed and slammed the door. As he yanked his street clothes off, he made himself promise. He _was_ going to tell Alfred. Tomorrow. He will.

His phone lit up, revealing a new text. Arthur pulled up the jockstrap that had been left for him and grabbed his phone. He slid it open. The text was from Alfred.

The first sentence was _I'm at the hospital_. Arthur didn't even finish reading what Alfred had wrote and hit the CALL button.

Alfred answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, his heart was pounding in his chest.

"What? Yeah I'm fine. Did you read the text?" Alfred said with a small laugh.

"No I just saw you were at the hospital and I was worried." Arthur closed the call screen and read the text fully.

 _I'm at the hospital with Ivan. I'm okay but he has to stay overnight._

"Awe, that's awful sweet of you, Artie," Alfred was saying. "But no need to worry. I'm fine, just making sure Ivan will pull through. Just some smoke inhalation. I think his mask was busted."

"Oh. I'm glad. Is Yao there? Does he know?" Arthur sat at his vanity. When his bare ass hit the leather, he was remained he was mostly naked and on the phone with Alfred. A blush darkened his cheeks.

"Yeah he's here. About had a heart attack seeing Ivan hooked up to the breathing thingy they were doing. It was just some respiratory thing Yao thought he was on life support or something." Alfred ended with a small laugh.

"Well, I'm glad he's doing okay." Arthur said.

"Me too. He was real scared when Francis said he had to come to the hospital. He started saying all of this weird stuff about you. But now that he knows he'll be fine, he's chatting it up with Yao. Something about a doctor fantasy."

"That's, uh...nice. What did he say about me?" Arthur asked, his heart in his throat.

"I dunno. Weird stuff. Listen, I have to get back to the station, but I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

"Oh, uh, sure. That's fine." Arthur dragged a hand through his hair and down his face. "Be careful out there."

"Always am! Bye, Artie!"

"Goodbye, Alfred." Arthur took the phone from his ear and hung up the phone.

He set his phone on the vanity and burried his face in his hands. He thought he was going to be sick. But Alfred sounded okay so maybe Ivan didn't tell him his secret. It could have been he thought he was going to die so he was going to do the right thing or something.

Arthur sighed, dropped his hands and stood. Moping wouldn't help his situation. He would finish work today then go see Alfred and tell him everything.

With a determined nod, he put the rest of his costume on and went to the set.


	7. AN

Hey guys, FF has been messing with my chapters so no more sex scenes will be published. However, if you would like to read those chapters in full, feel free to message me and I'll email it to you. I'll put at the beginning of a chapter if it is not complete so you don't have to read it twice. Just include the story and what chapter you'll need. Thanks!


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